


A Lion's Way Home

by LegendaryBiologist13



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Animal Transformation, Blood and Injury, Courage, Dark Past, Drama, Fantasy, Fights, Gen, Growing Up, Light Novel, Lions, Mercenaries, Seinen, Some Humor, Talking Animals, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:26:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegendaryBiologist13/pseuds/LegendaryBiologist13
Summary: Leon Wolfe is a solitary man who earns a living by slaying fiends and completing numerous mercenary contracts. He is satisfied with his lifestyle and never dreams of achieving anything grand.His spiritual mentor, a magical lion, knows that Leon is merely running away from the past. Firstly, Leon has adopted the name "Hunter Leonhardt" to hide from his old enemies. After that, Leon has not visited him for guidance for a long time.The lion summons Leon to his realm and criticizes his lifestyle; it is not something a lion's apprentice should have. However, Leon insists on living such a life because to him, things are easier this way. Nevertheless, the lion is certain that Leon will change someday, because running away from the past is a race one can never win.





	1. The Lion Stalks the Savanna

**Author's Note:**

> Originally uploaded on Wattpad on 1st January 2020.

Dirt clung to Leon Wolfe's soles as he trudged through the forest of undulating elephant grass with a scowl. That damned lion; why did he have to summon him, when he was in a nightcap and pajamas? Stray lions or hyenas raiding his pride? Nah, that beast, his Guardian Spirit or GS, owned this pocket dimension; he shouldn't have a problem kicking his enemies outta here. Hell, he could even bend the law of physics here if he wanted to.

 _Or maybe he wants to lecture me for not visiting him regularly?_ Leon thought as he squeezed through the tall blades of grass, his nose wrinkling at the earthy scent in the air. _For Aedifex's sake, I'm not a kid! I don't need a lecture!_

Leon soon emerged on a clearing. A lion sat there, licking his paw as his shaggy dark brown mane swayed in the breeze. The moon in the indigo sky shone upon the beast like a spotlight.

Approaching the lion, Leon looked down. Indeed, it had been some time since he last visited the beast; last time the sitting lion's height reached his waist, while this time it barely reached his hips. However, magic usage could have aged him faster than he had expected.

The lion put down his paw. "I believe you know why I called you, boy. It's been almost a year since we last met. A good apprentice meditates and visits his GS regularly."

Leon sighed, knowing what would follow after this.

"You can't go on forever as Hunter Leonhardt the Lone Mercenary."

Why couldn't he? Life as Hunter Leonhardt was easy: set up a contract, hunt down the target, and receive the payment, rinse and repeat. His fake identity also concealed him from the old enemies at the neighboring province Idassar. Not that Leon was afraid of them, but that place and everybody there would bring up the stuff he'd always tried to forget.

"You're Leon Wolfe, the only son of Cain and Sarah Wolfe. You should go home and reunite with them."

"Why should I go back there? It's been seven years since I left Idassar. They might've passed away or forgotten about me."

"Would it kill you to be more optimistic? Your parents may still be alive. Maybe they're looking for you and expecting your return."

Leon folded his arms over his chest. "Optimism is for fools. You know what? I used to be that fool and torment myself. Everything I hope for never comes true. Everybody I love leaves me at the end."

"You fool. Maybe you just happened to be extremely unlucky that time. Who knows things will be better this time?"

"You mean, I gotta believe in that 'after rain comes sunshine' thing?" Leon chuckled. "How funny."

"What's so wrong about having a positive outlook on life?"

"Likewise, what's so wrong about having a negative outlook on life?"

"You're defying my teachings and what I embody, annoying little boy."

Leon shrugged. Strength, pride, courage; the three things lions were best known for. Which one did he lack?

Wagging a finger at the beast, Leon challenged, "How about a little sparring match, Sir?"

The lion sighed. "Even if you win, it won't change the fact that you're a coward."

"Me? A coward? What are you talking about?"

"You're deathly afraid of something. You're running away from it."

"I'm not running away from anything."

"You are. Otherwise, you would've decided to confront your old enemies and go back to your parents."

Head bowed a bit, Leon placed his fingers on his chin. So, that was what the beast meant. Oh, well, Leon would rather be called a coward than facing the past and learning the truth about his parents. If they were still alive, thank goodness. If not... Unlike the pain of having bullets destroying his bones and innards or a sword tearing through his flesh, this one might even cripple him for a lifetime while leaving his body intact.

He shrugged. "Whatever. I'm not going back anytime soon."

"If that's so, then I'll keep pestering you in your sleep. It's my duty to guide you to be a better person."

"You can't change someone who refuses to change, Sir."

The lion grinned. "You _will_ change, boy, and I _will_ wait for it. Running away from the past is a race you can _never_ win."

Leon gulped, the hair on the back of his neck rising. Whenever his GS spoke so slowly and emphasized on a word or two, chills would run down his spine. Perhaps the deep, raspy voice charged the lion's words with so much power... No. Leon had such a voice as well because of the roaring training with the lion, but people often made fun of him for sounding way too rough for a guy in his early twenties.

Maybe the strength came naturally from the lion's tremendous confidence and his status as the king of beasts.

Despite the uneasy feeling, Leon snickered. "Good luck."

The lion chuckled. "Save that for yourself. You'll need a lot of luck to best me in terms of perseverance."

Struggling to not take a few steps back or wince, Leon reminded himself, _C'mon, you've been training under a lion, not a chicken!_ _Nobody can bring me down with only words, not even my GS!_

"Go home and rest up, boy. You have a mission tomorrow." The lion rose to his feet and roared, flattening the nearby grass with the sonic blast. The ground trembled and cracked.

Leon cupped his ears, grimacing at the monstrous roar. What a shame; though he'd heard it for over a hundred times in his life, he'd still flinch. At least he could now hold his ground without his bones rattling like a rickety construction, but showing signs of weakness was still a big deal.

The environment rippled violently before fading to nothingness. A moment later, the roaring stopped, and the sticky, grubby sensation left Leon's soles. The terrain Leon stepped on felt cold and smooth.

Concrete walls and ceramic floors materialized in the void, followed by various objects in the darker shades of blue. A digital wall clock, a fiberglass desk, a plywood wardrobe, a bed, a ceiling lamp and aircon; they were the items one would find in Kraindr Mercenary Dorms, Leon's residence.

The lion never made a mistake in teleporting Leon back to the physical realm, but it wouldn't hurt to confirm it. Right. On the metallic wall hooks beside the wardrobe his black leather jacket rested. Its back bore the crimson emblem of a roaring lion head, a signature left by his GS when he enchanted the jacket with antimagic capabilities.

Standing beside his bed, Leon looked at the wall clock. 1:15 AM. If he wished to arrive on time at Ratava Train Station tomorrow, he could only have five hours of sleep at most.

Leon lay on his bed, his head resting on his arms. Ratava, the town where the story of the Raging Bull came from. Sometimes on weekends, a man in a black hooded robe and a bronze domino mask would stand outside Ratava Train Station - near the restroom to be exact - and talk to some people about how to get money fast: paying him a small amount of money for a chance to get a lot in return.

It was no lottery, unfortunately; the money only served as a registration fee to fight the Raging Bull. If you won, you'd get enough money to buy a luxurious mansion and the newest sports car, while if you lost, you'd disappear as though the earth had swallowed you. So far, the latter happened all the time.

The former would happen this time, in Leon's hands. His mercenary contract demanded it.

Leon looked at the ceiling. Was the Raging Bull an alumnus of a mercenary academy, just as suspected by everyone? If yes, his GS should be a bull. The bull GS often provided its apprentice with Earth as primary element.

 _Earth. Rocks._ Leon chuckled. _I studied Metal for my secondary element. Metal smashes rocks._

Despite having no idea about the Raging Bull's secondary element might be, Leon was certain that he'd encounter no real problem in the fight. His GS had provided him with Pure Energy, or better known as Non-Elemental, as his primary element; although it had no advantage over any element, no element could have an advantage over it.

Leon reached out his hands and called out to Beast King's Claws in his mind. An 8-foot-long metallic spear with a head consisting of three claw-like blades materialized in his grasp. The lion head keychain attached to the base of its shaft dangled in the air.

 _You'd better not wield a sword or anything with really short range, the Raging Bull._ Leon spun his spear. _Else your chance of winning will be as slim as my chance of having a change of heart and going back to Idassar._

Once he stopped twirling his weapon, he tossed it into the air. _Back to my personal weapon hammerspace, Beast King's Claws._ And with that, the spear faded.


	2. The Raging Bull

Leon stepped out of the train and into a sea of people, his bulky backpack slamming into whoever stood too close to him whenever he turned. Whatever they said about him, he wouldn't care; their little cusses wouldn't make it through the noisy Ratava Train Station and into his ears.

Stepping onto the crowded escalator, Leon scowled at the idle people who clogged up the walking lane. Escalator etiquette didn't exist, did it? These people sure deserved a quick smack by his backpack.

After a few moments of standing still, Leon arrived on the top. As he approached the fare gates in the distance, someone bumped into him. Leon's pants pocket now felt empty, and he turned to stare at the culprit: a skinny man with messy blond hair and distended pants pockets.

"Excuse me." He seized the culprit by the back of his collar and pulled him back; Leon's nose wrinkled at the stench of cigarette smoke from the man. "Mind showing me what's in your pockets?" At this, the crowd looked at him and the man and formed a circle around them. Like a pack of wolves ready to bring down a big prey, Leon would say.

The blond man turned, beads of sweat trickling down his face. "L-let me go. I'm in a hurry."

"Sure." Leon's free hand went to pull everything out of the crook's pants pockets. "But not with my stuff! I can't leave the station without my public transport card!"

"Our wallets!" Two men and a woman dashed out of the crowd and approached the heap of leather wallets on the ground.

Once Leon loosened his grip, the quivering blond guy stood still and watched as the crowd crept closer to him. Murderous intent brimmed in their eyes.

"H-help..." The man took a few steps back, at which Leon shoved him towards the approaching crowd. And like rabid beasts, the mob roared, yanked the crying man towards them, and barraged him with fists and feet.

Leon hunched over to pick up his wallet. Before heading towards the fare gates, he gave the commotion one last look and sighed. Such was life in the country of Rechel; mess around with a mercenary, and you'd subject yourself to a world of hurt. It depended on the mercenary, though; a few would help the pickpocket escape and dissuade the mob after scolding the crook and retrieving their goods.

 _No good mercenary would do that_ , Leon thought as he tapped the gate's scanner with his wallet. Stealing from a mercenary was a crime, and the culprit deserved a punishment. Luckily for the crook, the mercenaries' code of conduct forbade them from using their weapons and magic against criminals unless punishing them was part of the contract.

Leon looked at the green screen on the gate's scanner. The train ride had cost 12 Bits and left him with 183 Bits in his card. Good. If he didn't receive many tasks at distant places, he probably wouldn't need any top-ups this week.

Walking past the gate, he returned his wallet to his pants pocket. With the crowd busy beating up the pickpocket, the area outside the gates barely had anyone wandering about. Leon could now feel the chilling air from the ceiling aircons; although the wind couldn't get past his black leather jacket, something was better than nothing.

 _It's not the time to enjoy this._ Leon headed towards the sliding glass doors ahead of him. _My contract comes first._

Gusts of hot wind blew against Leon's face as he stepped out of the station. The sun shone like a gleaming medallion in the cerulean sky, showering the earth beneath with golden rays of light. Although sticky and burning sensation plagued Leon's skin, he ventured across the clusters of people with his jacket on. A mercenary should never let his guard down just for comfort.

In the distance, in front of the restroom, a man in a black hooded robe and a bronze domino mask stood with a brown mobile phone in his hand. His robe made it hard to see his type of build, but he looked quite stocky and was at least a head taller than most people around.

Wallet in hand, Leon approached the man. "Good day, Sir. Please tell me more about the Raging Bull."

The man smiled. "Ah, so you wanna try your luck?"

 _More like, "I wanna kick his ass,"_ Leon replied in his mind, his face an impassive mask.

"May I look at your ID card?"

Leon unfolded his wallet to show the card. "Hunter Leonhardt. A mercenary from Kraindr Academy."

The man gasped. "A mercenary?"

"Got a problem with that?"

"Of course not. The Raging Bull has fought a few mercenaries before you."

 _And erased them from existence_ , Leon continued in his mind. _Great. All the more reason to slaughter this bull._

The man smiled. "Pay me 50 Bits, and I'll take you to him."

 _That's about the price of an above average lunch set._ Leon pulled a blue banknote - the fake money the academy had given him to prove whether or not the Raging Bull asked for payment - out of his wallet and handed it to the man. "Take me there."

"All right." The man kept the money in a pocket on his robe.

 _Wow, what a smart fellow_ , Leon thought with a poker face. _He accepted the money without double-checking its authenticity._

The man tapped the buttons on the touch screen keyboard of his phone. A glowing hexagram emerged underneath their feet, and a pillar of light burst out of the ground. Everything went white, but only for a moment.

Colors slowly filled the vast whiteness. Leon looked around. Spacious rectangular room, walls with peeling white paint, metal doors, wooden crates, high ceiling made of rusty metal sheets; well, which abandoned warehouse had they ended up at?

More importantly, where the heck did the masked man get this teleportation device? Only a mercenary, particularly the one with profound knowledge in gadgetry, could craft such a thing. Also, he saw nobody other than the masked man...

"That's quite an interesting device you've got there," Leon deadpanned, taking off his backpack and tossing it away. It landed on a crate with a thud. "Where did you get it? And where's the Raging Bull? Or should I say, the Raging Chicken? Did he chicken out-"

"Say what? Chicken?" The man took off his robe and threw it away, revealing a stocky bald man in a brown t-shirt and jeans. "I'm the Raging Bull! A freakin' _bull_! You won't get outta here alive!"

Leon dashed away from the man, calling out to Beast King's Claws in his mind. A metallic spear materialized in his hand, light glinting off its claw-like head.

A crude club made of rocks and hardened dirt appeared in the man's hands. Ah, so he had a personal weapon hammerspace.

_You, a mercenary, sure have the audacity to use your powers to con money from civilians and other mercenaries._

As the man rushed to him, Leon reached out his hand and clenched it. Tiny portals of swirling light emerged behind the bald man, and metal chains shot out of them. They wrapped around the man and sent him crashing to the cement floor. He roared and rolled from side to side, but the restraints remained firm.

Staring down at the Raging Bull, Leon pulled back a fist.

Just as intense heat gathered around his knuckles, the man's roar turned into a loud bellow. The chains and the mask shattered, and he sprang to his feet with enlarging muscles. A pair of sturdy horns erupted from his head as his face transformed into that of a bull and his bulging thews shredded his shirt.

The Raging Bull had unleashed the mercenaries' greatest power: transforming into a beast person. Now, Leon could imagine what had happened to the missing civilians and mercenaries.

_Well? You're lucky that we'll need your body for further investigation. Otherwise, I'll be more than happy to rip you to shreds._

Club in hand, the Raging Bull charged. His eyes glowed like a pair of crimson headlights. Threads of black smoke gushed out of his nostrils.

Leon punched and launched an energy bolt in the shape of a lion's head. However, the Raging Bull rammed through the blast and slammed his club into Leon's chest. The impact knocked the air out of Leon's lungs and sent him smashing into the wooden crates.

Despite the dull aches across his body, Leon rose to a sitting position. Then blood rushed up his throat and escaped from his mouth. Damn. Whenever he breathed, it'd feel like having hundreds of glass shards in his lungs. And his spear... Oh, well, he'd just call it back later.

Another bellow echoed across the warehouse and rattled the wooden crates. The Raging Bull had come again with his club raised overhead; this time, rivulets of lava trickled down the rugged, smoldering slab of igneous rock.

So, the Raging Bull had Fire and Earth as his elements. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his chest and the metallic taste in his mouth, Leon stood up. The Raging Bull's fire might melt Leon's metal, but he had just left a big chink in his defense. Also, he probably wouldn't bother to think that blood contained _iron_.

Leon spat blood at the advancing beast person. The red droplets merged and turned into an iron knife. It plunged into the Raging Bull's eye, forcing a loud scream out of his mouth. His volcanic club slipped out of his grip.

 _Now's our chance,_ _Beast King's Claws!_ At this, Leon's spear bolted over the man's head and landed in his hand. Holding the weapon with both of his hands, he charged.

Just as the Raging Bull regained his composure, Leon's spear shot everywhere like bullets out of a minigun in the hands of a madman. Not even the Raging Bull's brawny arms could shield his torso from the wild claws; they drilled through them as though they were hollow logs. A layer of rocks and hardened dirt coated the Raging Bull's body, but the metallic claws punched through the earthen mantle as though it was weathered wood.

An agonized moo reverberated as the flurry of strikes carved gaping holes across the beast person's torso and limbs. A moment later, the bellow died out. The Raging Bull stood still, his wrecked earthen mantle crumbling to dust and his eye wide open.

A fist to the face was all it took to knock him down. And he remained still on the ground, his blood puddling on the cement floor.

The beast person soon reverted to a human, at which Leon spun his spear and before tossing it into the air. _Mission accomplished. Back to the hammerspace, Beast King's Claws_ , he commanded in his mind, and the weapon vanished.

Leon walked towards the black hooded robe that lay beside a row of wooden crates, his eyes fixated on the brown mobile phone within its pocket. That thing should give him a lot of valuable info.

_Searching, killing, investigating... Just another day in Hunter Leonhardt's life._


	3. Another Mission

The Raging Bull's mobile phone demanded a password.

Leon shrugged. What was he? A mercenary who studied smithing, not gadgetry and stuff, for the academy's extracurricular.

He wasn't like his silly GS, who had always told him to try everything and take on the impossible. The Raging Bull, an expert in gadgetry, might just rig the phone. Maybe it'd blow up when Leon entered the wrong password. Or worse.

Leon kept the phone in his pants pocket and walked towards the wooden crates, intending to check them. As he moved, pain shot up from his chest. With a grimace and a hand on the hurting site, he turned to the crate on which his backpack lay.

Leon unzipped his backpack and searched its insides. Although tedious and time-consuming, tidiness had its merits; with his documents packed neatly inside plastic file bags and a fresh set of clothes - just in case he transformed and ripped his current ones - placed at the tail end of everything, it took only a few seconds to locate his stash of healing potion. The fabric pouch containing them rested beside his clothes.

Leon fished a vial of green fluid out of the pouch. Upon removing the cork stopper, he could smell the faint scent of lemon tea. Healing potion always had that kind of fragrance, but one could pay experienced pharmacists to alter it.

 _Experienced pharmacists._ Leon thought with a long face, an image of a raven-haired girl emerging in his mind. _Lyn..._

Oh, forget about her! Lyn along with her cousin had disappeared without a trace after graduating from the academy, right after promising that she'd visit Leon once in a while. On top of that, her father, the academy's principal and Leon's boss, refused to say anything about it.

Leon downed the potion in one gulp, and a wave of soothing coolness washed away the burning, stabbing pain in his chest. The refreshing sensation lingered, but he went on with his work: plugging the empty vial and returning it into the pouch. The academy's recycling department would appreciate this plastic container and its cork stopper.

After zipping his backpack, Leon wore it and raised an arm. Silver ethereal energy radiated around his hand, and a metallic crowbar materialized in his grasp. This tool would never be as efficient as his destructive magic, but these crates might just contain fragile valuables.

 _Or maybe not?_ Leon thought as the energy faded. _The Raging Bull probably won't hide anything here if he always invites people to duel him here._

Nevertheless, Leon began prying open the crates one-by-one. He didn't care how many crates he had to move or check; this task couldn't be worse than the lion's daily training regime: hunting zebras and buffaloes, digging up warthogs, fighting hyenas and stray lions, and sparring with the GS without any weapon or magic. He hadn't been doing any of those for almost a year, though, but hunting mechanical monstrosities in the academy training center and completing mercenary contracts worked as substitutes.

The crates contained nothing, at which Leon shrugged. He should've known it anyway. On the bright side, despite his burning, sticky, sweaty skin, he felt pumped up. Unfortunately, he had a better thing to do than training rigorously with his spear or magic.

 _This crowbar is my stuff._ He looked at the heaps of empty crates and their damaged lids. _Better not add more garbage there._

Leon held his crowbar two-handed and stared at it. Heat streamed down his arms, and the tool disintegrated. Then the metallic dust faded.

Leon took off his backpack, put it on the ground, and unzipped it. Behind the clothes and the pouch was a pocket, inside which Leon's mobile phone and charger resided. He sighed at the gadget's worn folding case; for Aedifex's sake, it was less than one year old! Maybe he should buy the case created by the mercenaries this time, even if it was several times more expensive than the standard ones.

After entering the password, Leon searched the contact list for Mr. Burke's number. Then he tapped the "Message" icon on the screen. It was pretty bothersome since Leon would call his boss soon, but the "Send Location" feature was only available in messaging system.

 _So, the Raging Bull's device took us to the abandoned industrial site of Ratava._ Leon tapped the green phone icon beside Mr. Burke's name. _I wonder if this area was his base all this long._

Once the periodic beeps in the phone vanished, Leon said, "Good morning, Sir."

"Morning, Leon. How's your progress?"

Leon winced at the mention of his real name. Mr. Burke knew him down to a personal level: a boy who had a lot of history with his daughter. Seven years ago, Lyn and her cousin had saved Leon from drowning to death during his escape from Idassar mercenaries. The young lady, upon learning that he had neither a home nor a family to return to, had invited him to Kraindr Academy despite his infamy in Idassar and the risk he might pose. Mr. Burke initially balked at her idea, but her persistence triumphed at the end. Also-

"Leon?"

 _If there's one thing I hate about myself_ , Leon grumbled in his mind, _it's that I often reminisce at the wrong time._ "My apologies, Sir. The Raging Bull is dead. He has a personal weapon hammerspace and wields the power of GS."

"A mercenary?"

"Very likely. His phone may give us some clues, but a gadgetry expert like him must've locked everything behind a complex security system."

"Gadgetry expert?"

"The Raging Bull used the phone to teleport us away from Ratava Train Station and to a warehouse at the abandoned industrial site of Ratava. I've messaged you the exact location."

"The abandoned industrial site? What a coincidence!"

Leon blinked. "Coincidence?"

"Do you know about Joshua Marino?"

Leon didn't really follow that businessman's news, but the most recent update said that he wanted to build new condos at Ratava. "The owner of Marino Condominium?"

"Exactly. His construction team unearthed an Aedifex Dungeon at the building site. It's pretty close to where you are."

Leon smiled. How long had it been since he last raided an Aedifex Dungeon? This mission always net him a lot of money!

"I'll send other mercenaries to do the clean-up of the Raging Bull's case. Just wait there until they come. After that, I'll notify you and send Mr. Marino's location."

"Yes, Sir."

"When you're done with all the missions, return to the academy and come to my office. We need to talk."

"Yes, thank you, Sir."

Once Mr. Burke ended the call, Leon locked the phone and returned it to his backpack. Waiting. One thing he hated so much in his life. Hopefully there were some mercenaries wandering around Ratava, or better, the abandoned industrial site, preferably with teleportation device like the Raging Bull.

Leon shifted his gaze to the Raging Bull's motionless body. Look at all the blood and the torn flesh! The lion had once told him that snacking on a fresh corpse would help relieve stress, and he'd often tried it himself. It actually worked, so...

 _No!_ He shook his head and hissed. _Others will need the body for further investigation, so leave it be!_

Scowling, he walked past the corpse and towards the metal roller door in the distance. Making an entrance for other mercenaries? Well, he only did it for the mission's sake, although some annoyingly friendly ones might end up saying, _"Hunter Leonhardt is actually a nice guy! Let's try to befriend him!"_

 _I don't want friends who are gonna disappear tomorrow._ He hissed. _Big bro's and his comrades' deaths are more than enough. Don't get me started about Lyn's disappearance._

Leon placed a palm on the door, and within a split second, the metallic object crumbled to dust. Wind poured into the warehouse and blew the fading particles everywhere.

Leon's backpack vibrated, and a whistling sound muffled through the layers of fabric. Quickly, he took off his bag, unzipped it, and snatched his phone. His eyebrow quirked at the screen; he'd just received a message from Mr. Burke.

As he tapped the screen to open the message, a pillar of light emerged in front of him and assaulted his eyes with the radiance. When his vision stabilized, the light had faded. A guy with a brown mohawk and a pigtailed lady now stood before him. The guy brought a toolbox with him, while the girl had a silver phone in her hand.

Really, just t-shirts and shorts? Without even a piece of GS-enchanted clothing? If not for the teleportation, Leon must've mistaken them for civilians. Good thing he frowned a lot, so even when something annoyed him, nobody would notice his displeasure.

The two newcomers raised their right hands to their foreheads, smiling. "Mark Archer and Mia Brown reporting for duty."

Leon returned the salute with a stern face. "Hunter Leonhardt here." He pulled the Raging Bull's phone out of his pants pocket and showed it to Mia. "I presume you're the gadgetry expert?"

Nodding, the pigtailed lady took the phone. "Yes. Leave the hacking to me."

"I'll take care of the corpse and other stuff." Mark walked past Leon. "You should go see Mr. Marino now."

"Mr. Burke asked me to teleport you to his location," Mia added. "Come closer."

Leon approached the girl, his face as sour as ever. He'd planned to go there by himself, but then the teleportation was his boss' request and Leon hated to keep his clients waiting.

_I hope she isn't inviting me to some small talk._

A glowing hexagram appeared under their feet, and a pillar of light burst out of the ground. Everything went white.

Soon, the whiteness faded. A corrugated metal fence with barbed wires on top of it loomed before Leon and Mia. Surrounding the door were various warning signs, a fingerprint scanner, a doorbell, and a metallic plank with "Marino Condominium - Ratava" written on it. Strangely, the site produced neither the sound of heavy machinery nor the clashing of tools against rocks.

For a mercenary, jumping over the tall fence was easy; as a wielder of Metal element, Leon could even demolish it in a blink of an eye unless it contained some form of magical enchantment. However, professionalism came first.

Leon checked the message in his phone and sighed; it merely contained the outdated news of the two mercenaries and the teleportation stuff. He wouldn't blame Mr. Burke, though; after all, he'd kept his phone in his backpack, while the two mercenaries had traveled via teleportation.

"I'm going back," Mia said. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Leon walked towards the doorbell without even glancing at the pigtailed lady.

"Uh, Leonhardt..." Mia muttered.

Leon pretended not to hear it. _Small talk? No, thank you._

"You can use some smile when you greet Mr. Marino. You know, he's your client and a billionaire."

 _I know that!_ Struggling not to lose his cool, Leon deadpanned, "Thanks for the tip."

After returning his phone to his backpack, he pressed the doorbell.


	4. Good Fiend, Bad Fiend

The door opened, revealing a chubby man in a black suit and a white...tiger-sized wolf? Wolves were never this big and didn't have a set of horns like a triceratops, right?

Wagging its fuzzy tail, the wolf stepped past the man and sniffed Leon's combat boots and cargo pants. Man, this little guy really reminded him of his big bro, a mercenary with a wolf GS. Leon's heart ached as a lump formed in his throat.

"Bright, get back here!"

The man's voice jarred Leon out of his reverie, and he watched as the horned wolf retreated. Good thing Leon could resist the urge to sigh and facepalm at his stupidity. Someday he should slap the title "The Master of Reminiscing at the Wrong Time" in his ID card.

Leon looked at the man, recognizing the black side-swept hair, the wrinkled face, the stubbles, and the thick horn-rimmed glasses. "Mr. Joshua Marino, is it?"

With the horned wolf standing beside him, the man smiled and nodded. "Yes. Mr. Burke had told me about you and sent me your CV, Hunter Leonhardt." He turned away. "Come in."

Once Leon stepped past the door and began walking away with Mr. Marino, the horned wolf pushed the door shut. Leon glanced over his shoulder and smiled. This well-trained beast really made an excellent pet; it being a wolf was a bonus.

 _But to have a pet..._ Leon's smile faded. _Isn't that tough? It rarely lives longer than you. To have a pet means you must prepare yourself for the pain of losing your loved one._

"Sorry about earlier," Mr. Marino began. "Bright is a curious little fiend."

Leon returned his gaze to the man, his eyebrow raised. "Fiend?" That explained Bright's size and horns then.

"I've been searching for a dependable guard dog across the town. Then someone suggested that I visited the fiend tamers at Kraindr Academy," Mr. Marino said. Soon, the horned wolf caught up with them and walked beside him. "I know fiends often attack humans and many are skeptical about fiend tamers, but there's the Soul Cycle. I bet some fiends are aware of it and don't want to get killed by mercenaries and be reborn as fiends over and over again."

Leon nodded. The almighty Aedifex had created the Soul Cycle to manage the souls of the deceased: the good would ascend to a higher plane of existence, the evil would become fiends in the physical realm, and the intermediate would be reborn as either humans, animals, or plants. How Aedifex defined "good" and "evil," nobody knew, but everyone believed that those who tried to rival Him or travel to the other world would always end up as the genderless monsters known as fiends.

A crater lay in front of them, surrounded by men in hard hats and inactive heavy-duty vehicles. Some of them sat beside the machineries, either chatting with each other or playing with their mobile phones.

 _They're all getting paid for sitting idly._ Leon stroked his chin. _What a waste of money._

"As you can see, the construction is halted," Mr. Marino explained. "According to various articles on the Internet, structures built atop an Aedifex Dungeon will have communication issues." Bright barked from beside him.

Leon looked at the chubby man. "Correct. As long as the dungeon master is alive, the closer we are to the dungeon, the weaker our phone signal will be."

"Yes, the construction workers and I have been experiencing that."

"Moreover, your building will be very weak as long as the dungeon is there. The only way to remove it is by clearing the dungeon and bringing the treasures out of it."

"Uh-huh." Mr. Marino paused. "By the way, you look and sound much older than in the CV. I heard it's the side effect of wielding the power of GS?"

Leon nodded. "I'm supposed to be 17, but according to the lion, my body is already 22."

"Your voice is still extremely deep and gravelly for your age."

"Learning to roar like a lion and weaponize it put a lot of strain on my vocal cord." Leon shrugged. "My GS forced me to learn that not only because roaring is a staple for a lion's apprentice, but also because weaponizing the roar is his favorite magic."

"Magic?"

"By channeling Non-Elemental magic into the roar, it'll create a sonic blast strong enough to break concrete walls. It also sounds dozens of times louder than an old diesel engine."

Mr. Marino gasped. "That'll hurt your teammates, won't it?"

"That's why I always work alone. I don't need to think about teammates' safety and whatnot."

"Fair point."

Leon, Mr. Marino, and Bright stopped at the edge of the crater. A massive stone tile rested down there, its surface bearing the carving of a thumbscrew compass. It symbolized Aedifex, whose name, according to the other world, meant "architect."

"That's the gate to the dungeon. I'll leave the rest to you."

"All right." Leon jumped off and landed before the tile. As he headed to the center of the carving, Bright landed beside him and barked. Leon's eyes widened.

"Come back here, Bright!" Mr. Marino shouted from behind. "Mr. Burke has told me about Leonhardt's personal issues with wolves!"

Indeed, this little guy would bring up a lot of bad memories if something happened to it. Shooing the wolf away, Leon said, "No need to follow me, Bright. I can take care of myself."

Bright sat up, opening its mouth slightly to expose its tongue. Leon sighed; if Mr. Marino wasn't watching, he'd have resorted to intimidation to drive away the beast. _But it's a wolf despite behaving more like a dog... Can I actually hurt a wolf? Dammit. I hate myself. I really do._

"Bright!" Mr. Marino called again, but the wolf wouldn't budge.

Leon thought of something. Silver ethereal energy radiated around his arm, and a metallic bone materialized in his grasp. Waving it at Bright, he told the fiend, "How about we play a game before we go? I'll hide this somewhere in the construction site. Then you go find and dig it up."

Barking with his tail swishing wildly, Bright nodded.

"Here goes." Leon's palm burned, and the bone crumbled to dust. "I've hidden it."

Bright rushed away from Leon, who grinned as he summoned Beast King's Claws. He'd actually destroyed the bone.

Leon extended a hand. Within an Aedifex Dungeon many fiends dwelled; when one opened the gate, they'd pour out like chickens out of a burning coop. The academy had always told the mercenaries to set a trap before the ritual to impede the mob.

Silver ethereal energy radiated around his arm and streamed out of his palm. It converged into a crude metallic orb with the size of a tennis ball, which grew bigger with each passing second. Once the coarse sphere reached the size of an elephant, Leon pulled back his arm.

With the silvery energy vanishing, Leon turned and walked towards the center of the tile. Feet positioned parallel against the compass' legs, he held his spear with both of his hands. His body glowed.

_"Praised be Aedifex,  
The almighty creator.  
Open the gate to thy dungeon  
For thy faithful to slay the fiends within!"_

Leon spun his spear overhead and plunged the three-pronged head into the ground. As the radiance around his body disappeared, he leaped away. The tile faded and revealed a descending cobblestone staircase.

Landing beside the entrance, Leon gasped. That little buttinsky Bright was pushing the boulder! Okay, he got that this horned wolf really wanted to help him, but it only worsened the stinging pain in his heart. His big bro used to be a helpful fellow, too.

"Go find that bone after this, Bright!"

The metal boulder moved and rolled down the stairs. Stones and bones crunched amid the rumbling noise. Then a boom echoed.

No shrieks of agony so far? What kind of fiends existed down there? Constructs? Undead? According to what Leon had learned, those types of fiends usually spawned in city area.

Leon descended the broken staircase and found a trail of shattered bones along the dark hallway. No blood. No guts. It seemed like he was dealing with animated skeletons.

His metallic boulder rested in the distance, from where a series of clangs and screeches came. Amid the sound, he heard the clacking of pebbles and the scamper of four paws from behind. He turned to see Bright standing while wiggling its tail.

 _This guy will only be a hindrance... Damn, why does it have to be a wolf of all things?_ He stared at the beast. "Did you actually try looking for that bone?"

Bright only barked.

Facepalming, Leon gnashed his teeth together and growled. What should he do? Intimidation? No, the wolf only liked helping people like his big bro did.

An idea popped in his head. Taking off his backpack and putting it down, he told the wolf, "My backpack will only slow me down. How about you stay here to watch over it?"

Bright nodded.

Leon turned around. "All right, I'm off. Thank you for the cooperation." Then he walked away, thanking Aedifex in his heart for having given him a brilliant idea.

Approaching the boulder, Leon looked at the gaps between the object and the ceiling. On the left side he found stone walls, while on the other side he found skeletons slamming and scraping their knife-like phalanges against the boulder.

Leon placed a hand on the rugged sphere. Heat streamed down his arms, and the object exploded into dust.

A horde of legless skeletons floated on the path beside him.

The poker-faced Leon held Beast King's Claws two-handed. His favorite fighting style, _Serial Spear_ , had always worked very well against a huge number of enemies, especially brittle ones. The combination of rapid spear strikes and bursts of Non-Elemental magic would mess up the dungeon real bad, though.

The skeletons charged. Leon weaved through the fiends, swinging and thrusting his spear while channeling explosive energy through the weapon. Shattered bones flew everywhere. Cracks and craters formed across the hallway.

The carnage left behind one floating skeleton, who turned to flee. With one big leap, like a lion pouncing on his prey, Leon drove his spear through the fiend's ribcage. A blast of pure energy reduced the skeleton into a heap of bone fragments and pushed him a few feet back.

Faint blue luminescence illuminated the hallway. Blue fireballs appeared in front of Leon, dancing in the air like a swarm of fireflies.

Leon nodded as he stepped over the broken bones. These fireballs, known as will-o'-the-wisps in the other world or _lux inducens_ in this world, only appeared when one had slain all the lesser fiends within Aedifex Dungeon. As implied by the name, which meant "leading light" in the other world, they'd guide a mercenary to the dungeon master.

A bark from behind stopped him in his tracks.


	5. Only Goodbye Knows

Leon snarled at the sight. That buttinsky Bright stood at the junction, with Leon's unzipped backpack leaning against the wall.

"Didn't I tell you to stay?" Leon pointed at his bag. "Also, why did you open it?"

Bright dug into the backpack and pulled a fabric pouch out of it.

 _My potion stash?_ Leon facepalmed. "Can't you see that I'm perfectly fine?"

Pouch between its jaws, Bright tilted its head and blinked.

"If it's about bringing some potion to a fight, I'm not doing it." Leon folded his arms over his chest. "Many foes, including constructs and undead, often try to steal them from you and use them to their advantage."

Bright walked towards Leon, its bushy tail swishing left and right.

"Yeah, I know some healing potion can harm undead, but mine contains too little Life magic to do so. You know, I can't resist buying discounted stuff." He waved his hand in a shooing gesture. "Leave now." Bright stood still, at which Leon kicked it lightly in the face. "Leave, I say!"

With its ears and tail drooping, Bright turned and limped away. Leon's chest ached as a lump formed in his throat; he'd never had a heart to hurt a wolf, even if it were just an act, but this had to be done. Bright getting hurt or dying would not only put him in a serious trouble with Mr. Marino, but also reopen the wound created by his big bro's death.

"I'll make sure that you aren't following me." Leon stomped the ground hard, and a metal wall erupted in front of him. It stopped right before hitting the ceiling and left behind a small gap.

Bright's howl sneaked through the crevice, causing Leon to wince. Damn. If he hadn't needed some air, he'd have sealed off the entrance completely.

Hearing even more howls, Leon stormed away from the metal wall. The swarm of lux inducens dispersed to avoid him. Not that he cared anyway, since nothing in this world could touch them. Heck, despite being fireballs, they didn't give off any heat.

An ornate carving of a thumbscrew compass - Aedifex's symbol - rested on the wall at the end of the hallway. _Quite a small and straightforward dungeon, huh?_ Leon thought. _The dungeons in city areas are never big anyway._

He stopped in front of the wall and held his spear two-handed. White radiance emanated from his body.

_"Praised be Aedifex,  
The almighty creator.  
Open the final gate of thy dungeon  
For thy faithful to slay the dungeon master!"_

Leon spun his spear and drove the three-pronged head into the center of symbol. As the radiance around his body disappeared, the carved wall faded.

A rectangular chamber, illuminated by clusters of lux inducens on the walls, awaited in front of him. At the center of the room a skeleton stood, slightly taller than a grown-up man. Radiant green orbs rested in its eye sockets.

In its hands a bone greatsword rested, its blade resembling the vertebral column of a human. Unlike real spines, though, they were flat and the bony projections on each side looked more like oversized sawteeth.

A swordsman? How generic. Leon wondered what elemental magic this fiend wielded, though. Nobody could guess a fiend's element until it used magic once, but to Leon, it was never a big deal. His antimagic jacket would protect him, although it only covered his torso and arms.

Leon whistled at the skeleton. Clenching its jaws, the fiend charged with its sword raised overhead.

_Got you!_

Once the skeleton entered the hallway, Leon's flurry of jabbing spearhead stopped it in its tracks. At first the fiend could still dodge, but the lack of wiggle room eventually forced it to parry everything. Their weapons clashed several times before the wild claws ripped off its arms and the fiend lost its footing.

As Leon thrust his spear, a pair of laser beams shot out of the skeleton's "eyes." Pain jolted from his thighs, but he roared and pressed on.

The spearhead punched through the fiend's skull, and Non-Elemental magic streamed along the weapon. A burst of pure energy blasted the skeleton to pieces and knocked Leon a few feet back.

Leon landed on his backside, and pain akin to having heated metal pressed against his flesh shot up from his quads. He grimaced and grunted, his gaze falling to the fuming, gaping wounds on his thighs.

Not a big deal. Watching Bright getting injured for his sake would hurt much worse.

Amid the stench of burnt flesh, Leon sensed the scent of jasmine. He looked ahead and saw a large mound of gold bars and coins resting at the chamber in front of him. Ah, the dungeon's treasures. According to the spiritualists, once one had slain the dungeon master, Aedifex would give the fragrant gold as a reward for punishing the fiends. Compared to the fiends in the wilderness, the ones in the dungeons committed worse crimes in their past life.

Leon plunged his spear into the ground. Despite the stinging, searing pain from his thighs, he rose to his feet and limped towards the chamber. His heart pounded. Beads of sweat rolled down his temple.

His legs faltered when he stepped into the chamber, and he crashed face-first to the ground. Biting his lips, he pushed himself up with his spear. However, his legs refused to move, and he fell back down. The pain from his thighs forced a scream out of him.

Loud barks came from the hallway, at which Leon rolled to his back and sat up. Bright stood in the distance, digging into his unzipped backpack. He smiled, but only a little bit as the guilt of kicking the wolf earlier tore his heart.

After pulling a fabric pouch out of the bag, Bright rushed to Leon. His eyes widened when he took a closer look at the wolf. Its paws were bruised. Its foreclaws and horns were all broken. Dried blood stained its snout and the sides of its mouth.

"You..." Leon snatched the bloodstained pouch and noticed Bright's broken and missing fangs. "Damn you! You hurt yourself when you destroyed my wall, didn't you?" Tears welled up in his eyes as he took a vial of healing potion, uncorked it, and pushed it to the wolf's snout. "Drink this!"

Bright tilted its head and blinked.

"Drink it already!" Tears trickled down his cheeks as the image of his big bro's bloody corpse flashed in his mind; if Leon had kept fighting with his broken spear instead of crying in fear, his big bro wouldn't have rushed to protect him and died. "Look at your wounds! Mr. Marino won't like them, dammit!"

Bright seized the vial with his mouth and gulped down the green liquid. Within a split-second, the bruises around the paws faded. New foreclaws grew to replace the old, broken ones, while its horns and fangs regrew only a bit. After plugging the empty vial, Leon returned it to the pouch.

_Seriously, I hate it when people help me and get hurt._

Leon took another vial from the pouch and drank the potion. The pain from his thighs dissipated as new flesh grew to seal the wounds shut.

As he returned the empty vial to the fabric pouch, Bright rubbed its face against Leon's while wagging its tail. He smiled, but a moment later, he forced his face to be as sour as possible.

"Get off me!" He shoved Bright away, picked up the pouch, and stood up. "I'm only giving you some potion because you're Mr. Marino's trusty guard dog, get it?"

Bright flashed Leon a smile before running towards his backpack, biting the strap, and dragging it towards him.

"It won't be enough to hold all the treasures." After returning the pouch to his backpack, he looked at the heap of gold. "I'll conjure a few metal boxes and maybe a wheelbarrow for-"

Excited barks and incoming footsteps interrupted him. He turned around and smiled at the sight. Mr. Marino walked towards them, accompanied by three muscular men in hard hats.

"When our phone signal was back up, I figured we should check the dungeon, too." Mr. Marino looked at the pile of treasures behind Leon. "Mr. Burke told me that the mercenary who cleared the dungeon takes all the loots. I've brought some men to help you carry all those."

Leon nodded with a smile. "Thank you." He liked how every client never bothered trying to steal the treasures or persuade a mercenary into sharing some of them. Due to the jasmine scent from the gold, only mercenary trading centers would pay for them.

As he reached out his hands to conjure metal boxes, he saw Mr. Marino glare at Bright.

"You damned fiend! Told you not to follow him, but you were so stubborn!" Mr. Marino pointed at Bright's broken horns. "I hope you learn something from those."

Leon looked at Bright, whose ears and tail drooped as it whined. Honestly, if Bright hadn't been that persistent, he might still be lying on the ground with injured thighs... Ah, forget about it. With his job done here, he'd soon be saying goodbye to Bright.

 _I don't wanna grow fond of anyone. I don't want anyone to grow fond of me either._ Leon's eyes grew wet when Bright approached him and nuzzled his legs, but he held back the tears; a professional mercenary shouldn't cry in front of his client. _Parting with your loved ones hurts like hell... Damn, I'm about to experience it soon. Bright, you're really annoying!_


	6. Meeting the Principal

Whenever mercenaries had just cashed in their loot from an Aedifex Dungeon, they'd celebrate their success in a popular restaurant or buy expensive stuff. Some might even take a few days off and go on a vacation.

None of those interested Leon, although he'd earned enough to buy a new motorbike. In his mind's eye, he could still see a smiling Bright waving its paw at him as he left the construction site.

 _Oh, quit it!_ Leon hissed as he strode along the corridor with his bulky backpack. _That wolf is just a nuisance!_

"Hey!"

Leon stopped in his tracks and gasped. Oh, no. It seemed like his backpack had just hit a corridor guard, a high-ranking worker in the academy, by accident.

Arms folded over his chest, the humongous man in a black suit stared down at him. "Use your eyes when you walk, Leonhardt! Being close to Mr. Burke doesn't mean that you're free to do whatever you want!"

Leon bowed. "I'm sorry, Sir. I'll be more careful next time."

"You'd better be!"

Once the man left, Leon facepalmed. Indeed, he was "The Master of Reminiscing at the Wrong Time." The worst part? The security cameras on the ceiling must've recorded his flub.

He really wanted to bang his head against the wall.

The mahogany door beside him creaked open and drew his attention. A short, rather chubby man in a black suit stood with a puzzled look in his face. "Leonhardt, where are you going?"

Recognizing that graying black hair, square jawline, and somewhat wrinkled face, Leon sighed. Great. "The Master of Reminiscing at the Wrong Time" had just made an ass of himself again: walking past the principal room because of not paying attention to the door signs.

"Sorry, Mr. Burke." Leon stepped into the room. Gusts of cool wind from the aircons blew against his face. Scent of jasmine emanated from the golden clock and certificate frames on the wall. Ah, yes, stuff made from the treasures of Aedifex Dungeon. An academy's prestige level depended on how much of these fragrant decorations it had.

"Good thing the security cameras in the corridor are also connected to one of my computers." Mr. Burke closed the door and headed to the ornate mahogany desk, atop which two computer sets and a golden chalice stood. "Did Mr. Marino let his pet fiend accompany you?"

Following Mr. Burke to the desk, Leon shrugged. "That wolf insisted on following me despite Mr. Marino's protests. Tried to distract it with a bone, told it to take care of my backpack instead of following me, and blocked the dungeon's path with a metal wall, but nothing worked."

Mr. Burke sat on the oversized swivel chair behind the desk. "That explains the commotion in the corridor." He gestured at the florid wooden chair in front of the desk. "Have a seat."

"Yes, Sir." After setting down the backpack beside the chair, Leon sat down.

Leaning back, Mr. Burke steepled his fingers. "So, you still don't plan on settling your score with Idassar Academy and reuniting with your parents?"

Leon looked down with a long face. "I can't do it, Sir. As you can see, I got all jittery just because of a wolf. What's gonna happen if I go to Idassar, the place wh-where..." Dammit! He was shaking already!

"'I watched my big bro die because of me?' Leon, you can't keep running away from your past."

Leon kept looking down, his hands balled into fists. Unlike talking to his GS, not maintaining a good attitude here would result in suspension or worse. "At least," he murmured, "running away keeps the past from catching up with me."

"Only temporarily. Those people will find out about you someday, so why don't you just face them?"

Leon shifted his gaze to Mr. Burke. "Everything related to Idassar brings up a lot of memories I don't want to remember. That will screw me up real bad."

"What if those people come to Kraindr?"

"I..." Leon looked down again. _Run away again? Can I actually do that when they're already here? Or should I man up and face them? I dunno..._

"What do you think?"

Leon remained silent. Would answering with "running away" lead to a deeper question? What if he said that he'd fight back? Would Mr. Burke praise him or dig even deeper? Let's just hope that the middle-aged man would soon change the topic...

A chuckle broke the silence. "You're considering changing your mind, correct? If you aren't, then you must've answered, 'I'll keep running away,' or something similar."

Leon gulped. Well, he hadn't decided on his final answer yet, but honestly, he was more into fighting than fleeing.

"Surprised? I'm used to dealing with you." Mr. Burke cleared his throat. "Okay, listen to me. No more missions today. You're going on a special mission tomorrow."

Leon looked at Mr. Burke, his voice brimming with interest. "A special mission?"

"This request came a few days ago, but I was torn between accepting or rejecting it. I accepted it anyway, considering who made the request." He stroked his chin. "Then after talking to you about your issues, I'm glad that I've accepted it. This mission can help you deal with the past."

Leon's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be; a Kraindr mercenary could never do a mission at Idassar, and vice versa.

"You're going to Dakan, a mountainside village located at the westernmost region of Kraindr. Your task there is to investigate the tale of the Sasquatch."

In the other world, a Sasquatch, or better known as a Bigfoot, was a giant ape-like creature that was said to live in the wilderness and leave big weird footprints. Inhabitants of the other world had often argued about its existence because nobody had ever seen it with their own eyes.

Leon nodded. That sounded like an interesting mission, although not as rewarding as an Aedifex Dungeon exploration, but what did it have to do with his past?

Before Leon could say a word, Mr. Burke spoke, "Lyn made that request. She specifically asked for you."

"What?" Leon jerked back, his heart hammering wildly against his chest. How should he feel at this? Happy because he'd finally see her again? Sad because he'd have to say farewell again when he was done with the mission? Angry because Mr. Burke had kept his mouth shut about her for years?

"After Lyn graduated, I sent her away to that remote village with my wife. It's too risky to keep them close to me as long as you're here, unwilling to resolve your issues with Idassar Academy."

"Yeah..." Leon said under his breath, his heartbeat slowing down a bit. _Say whatever you want. I'm not gonna face the past for your family's sake._

"You won't be going there alone. Lyn also asked me to send Neil."

"Neil Phoenix?"

"Ah, you remember him."

Leon nodded. Why not? That rooster head was an annoyingly friendly and noisy guy. At least he was upfront about being unable to see Leon again, but Leon couldn't really blame Lyn for never visiting him after the graduation.

"Go to Rivera Car Rental and find a man named Daniel Rivera at 8AM tomorrow. It's located near Ereasicon Train Station." Mr. Burke took his phone from his pants pocket. After swiping and tapping the screen several times, he showed it to Leon. "This is Daniel."

Leon looked at the picture. Okay, he got it: graying black hair and rather wrinkled face like Mr. Burke, flat top hairstyle, thick chevron mustache, and oblong jawline. "Yes, Sir."

"Remember, Leon." Mr. Burke swiped and tapped the phone screen a few times before returning the phone to his pocket. "Keep this mission a secret. I don't want people to find out about my family's whereabouts."

Leon nodded. "Understood."

"Any questions about this special mission?"

"No."

"All right. Now, before you leave, I'd like to talk about the Raging Bull's case."

Leon sat still with a poker face. Sometimes when Mr. Burke was in the mood, he'd tell Leon about the details on the case. It always irritated him since he only cared about the reward and nothing else.

"We'll split the payment between three mercenaries, but because you were the one who killed the Raging Bull, you'll get the most."

 _Thank Aedifex he jumped straight to the best part!_ Leon smiled a bit. "How much?"

"50%. Mark and Mia get the rest. When we have located where the Raging Bull stores all his money, you'll get a bonus as well. The academy will take 50% of the Raging Bull's money, while you get 30%."

Leon nodded with a broader smile.

"The academy's financial dept will transfer the money soon, along with the reward for completing Mr. Marino's request. The bonus is coming much later." Moving the mouse on the desk, Mr. Burke looked at one of the computer screens. "You're just as prolific as ever, huh? You've earned about 5,000 Bits today, not counting the treasures from Aedifex Dungeon and that bonus."

Leon's smile faded. "I w-was born dirt poor." Damn, he was shaking again!

"Hard work is always rewarding," Mr. Burke responded. "See, your savings are enough to buy a house. I'm sure that your parents will be proud of you."

 _Only if I get to see them again._ Leon looked down, tears welling in his eyes. _Are they still alive? Do they still remember me?_

"Leon, you should return to Idassar. Don't you want to see your parents' proud smiles?"

"I want to, but... Uh, never mind."

Mr. Burke chuckled. "I know you'll change your mind someday. It's pretty easy to read you."

 _This is getting annoying!_ Standing up, Leon picked up his backpack. "Okay, let me repeat my task tomorrow. Go to Rivera Car Rental and meet Daniel Rivera at 8AM. It's located near Ereasicon Train Station. Correct?"

"Yes. Remember to pack up some clothes and stuff. The mission may take a few days." Mr. Burke paused. "However, I ask that you waste no time and finish it quickly. I don't want to see Idassar people coming to Dakan to hunt you down and harming my family in the process."

Why the hell would he do that? The longer he stayed with Lyn, the more painful he'd feel when he said goodbye to her! "Yes, Sir."


	7. Old Friend

Leon wished he could do another mission today. Fighting and adventuring would hone his combat skills and instincts, but nothing could beat the joy from adding money to his savings. However, Mr. Burke had told him, _"No more missions today."_

Luckily, every mercenary academy had a training center, so Leon could still gain the benefits of fighting and adventuring.

Before entering the training zone, though, Leon stopped by the building's cafeteria. Nobody could fight well with an empty stomach, especially when it happened because of missing out lunch.

Although it was already 1PM, Leon still ended up in the middle of a long queue. The worst part? If the mercenaries in front of him were all claiming their free lunch sets instead of buying snacks, it might take at least five minutes until his turn. The cashier had to scan every mercenary's ID card and check their names in the computer to prevent them from claiming free seconds.

By the time it was Leon's turn, acid had crawled up his throat thanks to the rich, buttery fragrance in the air. His stomach also rumbled, but the noisy environment - comparable to an outdoor marketplace - smothered the little sound.

Leon handed his ID card to the woman behind the counter. "One lunch set, ma'am."

"Yes, Sir." The woman took the handheld scanner from its stand and scanned the barcode on the ID card. After a beep, she tapped the computer screen several times and returned the card to Leon. Then she rushed to the service window behind her. "One carnivore lunch set!"

Leon kept the ID card in his wallet and returned it to his pants pocket. A moment later, a hand pushed a red tray out of the service window.

Like a hungry lion seeing its prey, Leon scrutinized the large chunk of grilled meat and the small pile of buttered vegetables on the tray. The cafeteria served fiend steak - the cheapest meal due to the abundance of beast-type fiends out there - almost everyday for those with carnivorous GSs, but the chefs knew the right blend of spices to make the steak taste different from time to time. Fiend meat would always share the same texture as beef, though.

The drink accompanying the meal was and would always be a glass of water. It was so cheap that one could simply refill it at one of the water dispensers in the cafeteria.

After placing a tissue paper and eating utensils on the tray, the woman brought it to Leon. "Here you go, Sir."

"Thank you."

With the tray in his grasp, Leon walked away from the counter while scanning the cafeteria for the least crowded area and the smallest table. Nothing annoyed him more than small talks when eating.

Spotting a few empty tables at the desolate corner of the cafeteria, he sped up. There were still many mercenaries who hadn't gotten their seats out there.

He arrived at a small square table without a fuss. After placing the tray on the table and his backpack beside the chair, he sat down and picked up the fork and the knife. Time to dig in.

Leon's tongue sensed butter with a pinch of garlic in the juicy steak. Of course, this was far better than his mom's cooking; not only fiend meat contained so much nutrient that non-mercenaries might suffer multiple organ failure after consuming it, but the academy also had all the tools and ingredients to make good food. However, it lacked what made his mom's cooking more satisfying.

 _Mom worked hard to turn whatever she could buy with Dad's and her earnings into something edible._ A lump forming in his throat, he stopped chewing and stared at the half-eaten steak and veggies. _Here? As long as you don't break the rules, you can claim a free breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day._

"Yo, old friend!"

Leon felt a smack in his back. Shocked, he swallowed by accident and coughed. Goddammit, who the hell was it? Snatching his glass and guzzling the water within, he stared at the perpetrator.

A short, rather muscular young man in a black t-shirt and blue baggy shorts looked at Leon with a puzzled face, his hand holding a cup of sweet corn. Recognizing the combed-up blond hair that resembled a rooster's crest, Leon slammed his glass onto the table and yelled, "Damn you, Neil!"

"Sorry." Neil sat on the empty chair across Leon and placed the cup of corn on the table. "You looked really grim earlier, so I thought you could use a bit of cheering up."

"That's very nice of you," Leon deadpanned as he continued to snarf down his food. _Better finish this quickly. I'm not in the mood to listen to his long-ass story._

"So, how are things?" Neil asked with a broad smile.

Leon kept eating.

"Leonhardt?"

Leon pretended not to hear that.

"Oh, well, I guess I'll tell you my story. After graduation, I chose to stay at the countryside region of Kraindr. I got to raid a lot of Aedifex Dungeons out there, ya know? My savings right now are just a few thousands Bits away from reaching twenty millions!"

Once again, Leon ignored Neil.

"I'm still far from my goal, though. According to Mimi, my family travel plan might cost over one hundred million. Well, why not? Staying in five-star hotels, seeing the many wonders of Krixali, tasting the country's delicacies, and much more!"

Leon kept on munching and swallowing his food, although memories of Mimi Bailey began filling his mind. Her parents, being aristocrats at Krixali, sent this energetic girl to Rechel to study the art of GS at the age of six. Despite the wealthy background, Mimi got along very well with them, especially Neil. Just like this rooster head, after graduating, Mimi told Leon that she probably couldn't visit him again because she had to go home.

"I hope my family is still fine when I finally earn enough for the vacation. Grandma's pretty old already and can't walk so much anymore."

Leon looked at his plate. Oh, yeah, just one last bite and he'd have the reason to flee from Neil's ramblings.

"Yo, were you actually listening to my story?"

Leon finished off the last piece of meat and drank the remaining water in his glass.

"Earth to Leonhardt?"

After placing the empty glass on the table and wiping his mouth with the tissue paper, Leon stood up, picked up his backpack and wore it.

"Man, this is like talking to a wall."

"Whatever." The poker-faced Leon picked up his dirty tray and empty glass while staring at Neil's cup of corn. "You'd better eat your corn before I eat it."

"No!" Neil grabbed his cup of corn and leaned back like a stingy kid protecting his candies. "Not my corn!"

"Eat up then." Leon turned around and strode towards the water dispensers in the distance. His ears registered unpleasant stuff from other mercenaries, but he pressed on. Let those people criticize his attitude towards his old friend until their saliva dried up; he wouldn't give a damn.

After getting a glass of water from a dispenser and downing it, Leon headed to the tray return station. Stacks of colorful trays stood on the metal shelves, organized to one color per level. The red trays - the carnivores' - rested on the topmost level; according to popular belief, mercenaries with carnivorous GSs usually towered over others, hence the position. Leon found that funny, though, because he'd seen several people with herbivorous and omnivorous GSs standing much taller than him.

After putting his tray atop the red stack, he walked away from the shelves and towards the cafeteria's exit.

The training center's lobby was a massive rectangular hall with many mercenaries, both in-training and graduated ones, wandering about. A metal double door lay across where he stood, with an "Authorized Personnel Only" sign mounted on it. Infirmary staffers rested in that room; whenever mercenaries hurt themselves in the training, they'd rush to aid. If the wounds were too serious, they'd bring the mercenaries to the infirmary building instead. It stood across the training center.

Leon turned and hurried towards the entrance door of the training area in the distance. He had to claim the Colosseum for himself before others did; else he'd be stuck in the Hunting Ground with other mercenaries.

Upon entering the training area, Leon rushed to the men's locker room on the left side of the entrance and winced. Goddammit, the room not only felt like a sardine can but also reeked of sweat and blood. The scent of soap from those who came out of the shower rooms lessened the stench, but only a bit.

Leon dashed to the key cabinets beside the entrance door and grabbed a locker key. Looking at the number, his favorite number, he smiled a bit. Many inhabitants of the other world believed that number 8 brought wealth and prosperity.

As he approached the locker, a man spoke from behind in a derisive tone, "Finally smiling, Sir Frowns-A-Lot?"

Leon unlocked his locker and opened the door without saying anything. _Just another guy coming up with another unpleasant nickname to me. Nothing new._

"Arrogant as ever. I hope your arrogance will bite you in the butt someday."

"Leave him alone, bro."

Eyes widening, Leon turned to the source of the voice. There Neil stood with his arms folded over his chest, staring at a bare-chested guy with a towel over his shoulders.

"What's the matter? He's notorious for being an asshole in the academy."

"Think you're better? He didn't do anything to you, yet you picked on him."

Brow furrowing, the man humphed and stormed away.

Why did Neil have to jump in? So that he could gain Leon's attention? So that Leon would want to train together with him? "You know," Leon grumbled, "I can deal with him by myself."

"How?" Neil scratched his head. "By being a wall and let him insult you as he pleases?"

"Yeah. He'll eventually get tired and walk away."

"Hey, you really need to fight back. If not, they'll keep getting back at you."

"Tried it. It didn't make any difference." Leon took off his backpack and stuffed it into the locker. "I've always been a jerk, so I'm bound to draw a lot of hate."

"So, you've really changed a lot since our separation," Neil commented. "Then why don't you try to be nicer? I mean, you used to be a sweet guy."

"Being nice hurts." Leon closed the locker door and locked it. After keeping the key in his pants pocket, he walked away with a long face.

_Being nice makes it easy to grow fond of each other. It's a great feeling, but do you know how much it hurts when you have to say goodbye?_


	8. Enter the Colosseum

The training area of Idassar Academy consisted of a circular hall branching off to six paths. The two on the west led to the Colosseum, the other two on the north led to the Meditation Chamber and the Sparring Room, while the rest on the east led to the Hunting Grounds. A guard post stood before each path.

Since his graduation, Leon had only visited the Colosseum. The newbies in the Meditation Chamber often sought seniors to help them meditate properly and travel to their GSs' realms, which would remind him of how his big bro mentored him a decade ago. Moreover, Leon could hardly find a sparring partner for the Sparring Room, while incompetent mercenaries often roamed the Hunting Grounds and ruined someone else's hunt.

There were two types of Colosseum: the Beginners' and the Experts'. Unfortunately, only the Beginners' allowed Leon to fly solo because the foes in the Experts' were too dangerous to be faced alone, or so they said. Even so, the guard post staffers would always stop a lone mercenary and persuade him or her to team up, unless nobody was around or wanted to be in the group.

 _Mr. Burke really has to change the rule for the Colosseum_ , the scowling Leon thought as he strode westward. _Fighting alone is much better than fighting alongside morons._

"Heyo, Leonhardt!"

Leon recognized that rather thin voice and hissed. If the guard post staffer saw Neil stick around with him, she definitely wouldn't let Leon in until either he and Neil trained together or Neil grew tired and left. Knowing how stubborn this rooster head could be, Leon was sure as hell that the latter wouldn't happen.

_Problem is, I'm going on a special mission with him tomorrow. If Neil and I get in a fight and end up with a strained relationship, not only Mr. Burke will be disappointed, but our inability to work together will also screw up everything._

"Let's rock the Experts' Colosseum together!" Walking beside Leon, Neil cracked his knuckles. "Can't wait to kick some mechanical ass!"

"Okay," Leon muttered. _Admittedly, Neil isn't that bad as a partner. In combat, he's so noisy that my roar won't affect him._

"Awesome! I'm gonna book the Colosseum for us ASAP!" In a flash, Neil slipped through the wandering mercenaries like a mouse and stopped in front of the guard post.

Leon quietly followed Neil's trail. That rooster head had so much energy that it was annoying, but at least he wasn't just all crow and no peck.

Approaching the guard post, Leon pulled his wallet out of his pants pocket and unfolded it to take out his ID card. Similar to the free meal policy, the guard post staffer had to scan the card to prevent a mercenary from entering the Colosseum more than once in a day.

Sitting in front of a computer, the staff asked with a quirked eyebrow, "Leonhardt? You're finally entering with a partner?"

"Yeah." He handed the ID card to the staffer lady. _Wish I don't have to._

The lady smiled. "That's great!" After scanning the card with a handheld scanner, she returned it to Leon. "Mecharex is a dangerous training robot."

"What?" Eyes widening, Neil placed his hands on the guard post counter. "No Mechadominus?"

Mechadominus, a training robot based on Indominus Rex from _Jurassic Park_ , a popular movie series in the other world. Indominus Rex was primarily a T-Rex, but genetic engineering had given it the traits of many other dinosaurs.

"Mechadominus is now restricted to the Hunting Grounds." Leon kept his ID card and wallet. "The rule was changed about two years ago because it caused a number of casualties in the Colosseum. At least in the Hunting Grounds, you can find many hiding spots."

"Correct," the lady added as she typed on a computer. "By the way, please enter the Colosseum."

"Oh man!" Neil rubbed the back of his neck. "Things sure have changed a lot in five years."

"Not really." Leon strode past the guard post and towards the open doors of the Experts' Colosseum. "The head of the training center is still Mrs. Lilly Moore."

"Oh, Mrs. Moore! All the training robots are based on dinosaurs because she loves those dinosaur movies from the other world." Neil walked beside Leon. "What's the name again? _Jurassic Park_?"

 _You really have a bad memory._ Leon kept walking. "Yeah."

Once Leon and Neil stepped into the chamber, the entrance doors slid shut. They wouldn't open until the mercenaries either defeated all the foes or were in danger.

The Colosseum was a chamber with the size of a football field and many lamps and a few aircons on the high ceiling. Its concrete wall and floor, despite looking ordinary, contained magical enchantments that rendered them nigh-indestructible.

"We still got some prep time just like in the past?"

Leon nodded. "The first wave is still a squad of Gunmechs too."

"Oh, those guys!" Neil reached out his hands, and a pair of metallic nunchucks materialized in his grasp. Grinning, he swung his weapon around like a pro martial artist. "Can't wait to smack some bullets back at 'em!"

"Stay away from me during the fight, get it? Don't want your light and fire to melt my metal."

Neil stopped swinging his nunchucks and playfully saluted at Leon. "Aye aye, cap'n!"

 _How annoying._ Leon summoned Beast King's Claws. "Whatever."

"Cheer up a bit, buddy! Prove 'em that ya ain't Sir Frowns-A-Lot!"

Sighing, Leon reached out his free hand. Silver ethereal energy radiated around his forearm, and a metallic tower shield materialized. Wielding a spear one-handed would mean less control and power, but if he went on without any protection, the barrage of bullets would wound his legs and shut down his footwork.

A short whistle echoed, at which Neil laughed. "Thought they changed it into something fancier than a referee whistle."

"Save your breath for the upcoming fight!" Leon snapped.

"C'mon, these gunslinger robots are just a warm-"

Pillars of light emerged in the distance, at which Leon hid behind the shield. The training center's technicians had begun teleporting the training robots.

Gunshots rang, followed by countless plinks. Leon charged and drew a deep, hearty breath. Then he stopped in his tracks, lowered his shield, and roared. The sonic blast blew away the incoming bullets and smashed the horde of Gunmechs to smithereens.

 _Done._ Leon turned to watch Neil, a blazing man bolting across a small group of Gunmechs. _I'm not gonna interfere. That rooster head won't get anything if I destroy those guys for him._

Neil's high-pitched battle cry thundered amid the gunshots, explosions, and the crunching of metal. Every blow he landed left behind a fiery blast that reduced the Gunmechs into charred scrap metal.

In a few seconds, all the robots were gone. With his fire fading, Neil landed on one foot and spread his arms. Blood oozed out of the nicks on his legs.

"Don't waste your stamina with that pose," Leon scolded. "We still have two waves."

"Oh man, have you forgotten about the 'Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg' pose?" Neil raised an arm and lowered another. "It trains your balance, ya know? It's also good for stretching your stiff muscles!"

Leon shrugged. "You're hurt, you reckless idiot."

"They're just some scratches, buddy." Neil grinned. "By the way, I just noticed that you may have a prickly exterior, but inside you're-"

Face flushing in anger, Leon snapped, "Shut up, rooster head! Don't whine at me when you get your ass kicked!"

Neil laughed. "Don'tcha worry. The next wave is still a Mechaptero squadron with a Mechaceratops, right?"

 _Okay, at least he's changing the topic now._ Leon exhaled. "It's not always a Mechaceratops now. Sometimes they can send in a Mecharaptor or a Mechasmilo."

"Lemme deal with those robo-pterosaurs." Neil bolted upwards and clung to the ceiling with one leg. "Agility is my forte."

"For once, your words have my stamp of approval."

"Yay!"

Leon stared at his tower shield. Heat streamed down his arm, and the object disintegrated. As the metallic dust faded, he held his spear two-handed. A one-handed thrust wouldn't even scratch the light-armored monstrosity in the second wave.

A column of light shot out of the ground, followed by a few smaller ones around it. Then the biggest radiance vanished, leaving behind a saber-toothed tiger. Its eyes burned like will-o-wisps. Light glinted off its metallic body.

A Mechasmilo. A _feline_ opponent. It even towered over Leon.

A surge of energy coursed through Leon's veins, burning him from inside. Sweat dribbling down his body, he gritted his teeth and charged. The flame in him calmed down a bit when he drew closer to the Mechasmilo. The searing pain dissipated as his spearhead tore through the air and towards metal beast's knife-like fangs.

The Mechasmilo swiped the spear out of his grip. And the fire in him roared again.

_Lions are so prideful that it hurts._

Heart pounding, Leon clenched his hands and pulled back a fist. Intense heat gathered around his knuckles.

When the saber-toothed tiger sprang, he stepped forward and launched the fist at the gaping maw. His knuckles slammed against the Mechasmilo's throat, and pure energy exploded in the its mouth. Metallic scraps flew everywhere as the headless husk collapsed.

Although the fire in him died out, his hand went limp. Grunting at the stinging, burning pain, he inspected his hand and winced. Broken bones jutted out of his bloody forearm and wrist. Blood seeped into the ragged sleeve of his jacket and ran down his mangled fingers. Damn, the Mechasmilo must've clamped its jaws shut when he punched.

One hand down. He could perhaps force it to work, just like what he'd always done, but if not...

 _Transformation._ Leon recalled his spear and caught it with his good hand. _It'll strengthen me a lot, although growing a few weeks older just for training sounds ridiculous._

A shout snapped him out of his reverie. "Holy crap!"

Leon turned to see a shocked Neil and quirked an eyebrow. Did the rooster head bring some potion? Nobody could get out unscathed after engaging a squadron of mechanical pterosaurs in close combat.

"Look at your hand!"

"It's bound to happen. My GS is a prideful big cat who happens to be the king of beasts, so he'll always want to show other felines who's the boss."

Neil fished a vial of healing potion out of his pants pocket and uncorked it. "Here, you can have mine. It'll heal your hand, but not completely. Your wounds will reopen if you aren't careful."

"Thanks." The poker-faced Leon released his spear, took the vial, and drank the potion. _I don't like this. Hell, I can actually handle everything by myself, although I'll pass out when it's over._

The cool, lemon tea-flavored liquid gushed down his parched throat, and his broken hand went numb. Snaps and pops echoed as the protruding and disfigured bones across his forearm and hand retracted and realigned themselves. Then new flesh grew to seal the gashes shut, and he could feel his arm again.

"Can I have the vial back? I'll take it to the recycling dept after this. Also, if you have some empty vials in your bag, give me."

 _Wow, that's so nice of you._ Leon handed the vial to Neil. Not that Leon couldn't dispose it by himself, but he'd hate to squeeze through the crowd in the recycling department.

As he picked up his spear, a sharp pain jolted from his healed arm. His grip remained steady, though.

"So, next up is the Mecharex." Neil stroked his chin. "It's immune to Light and Fire. My _Flying Kick_ can probably hurt him, but I might break my leg."

"Then stay back." Leon turned around and held his spear two-handed, ready to fight despite the little creaks from his forearm. "You'll only be a burden."

"But-"

A colossal column of light emerged from the ground in the distance. As soon as it faded, the creature left behind, a mechanical T-Rex with red and black tints across its metallic body, roared. Louder than the take-off of a jet plane, it carved numerous cracks on the ground.

Leon knew he wouldn't last long with his arm, while Neil was completely useless against Mecharex. So he raised his spear overhead, preparing for _Ravage_ , the deadliest Non-Elemental magic in his arsenal. A pillar of pure energy burst out of his spear.

"Leon-"

When the Mecharex charged, Leon screamed at the top of his lungs and brought down the humongous entity. The pillar smashed through the metallic bipedal dinosaur and into the ground; at the same time, the bones of his forearm snapped and pierced through his flesh.

"Leonhardt!" Neil shouted from behind.


	9. Forget Me Not

Since Lyn's disappearance, Leon had always hated going to the infirmary and preferred chugging potion and getting tipsy due to overdose. The healers would always remind him of her because just like Lyn, they wielded Life element to treat wounds and illnesses.

This time, he didn't have a choice. Seeing his broken arm, the guard post staffer at the training center immediately reported it to Mr. Burke. The principal then had Leon hauled off to the infirmary, much to his chagrin.

The first floor of the infirmary was a large air-conditioned hall divided into four sections; each of them had their own representative colors for an easier identification. Dying and comatose mercenaries would go to the blue Resuscitation area, seriously injured or very ill mercenaries with decent vital signs would go to the red Emergent area, while mercenaries with mild illness or injuries would go to the green Non-Urgent area.

Leon ended up in the yellow Urgent area.

Lying still, Leon watched as the healer lady sat beside his bed and placed her glowing hands beside his mangled forearm and fingers. Healers always wore white coat like doctors, but doctors hated them with burning passion and often regarded them as lowly shamans. _"They don't know a single thing about an illness. They only know to heal everything with magic,"_ doctors had always said.

Leon thought pretty much everyone in medical field had the reason to hate healers; the emergence of mercenaries and magic rendered medics obsolete. Nobody would seek a doctor, undergo a surgery, and get hospitalized for days when healers could heal numerous internal injuries in a minute or two.

Sometimes, though, their anger seemed unreasonable. Casting Life magic would age up the healer, whereas counselling patients, performing surgery, and prescribing drugs wouldn't.

It only took a few seconds for the broken bones to return to their original position and the torn flesh to heal up, similar to how the potion restored his arm earlier. However, with something as strong as Life element involved in the healing, he wouldn't need to worry about breaking his arm with _Ravage_ again.

After wiping off the blood from Leon's arm with soaked gauze pads, the healer lady threw the bloodstained pieces of fabric into the trash can on the trolley and smiled at him. "All done. Take care." Then she pushed the trolley away and headed to another bed, atop which a wounded mercenary lay.

Leon sat up. Oh, sure, he'd take good care of himself; the academy funded a mercenary's health care only once every 24 hours.

Leon looked at the digital ceiling clock and scowled. Why hadn't Neil returned? A super speedy mercenary like him shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes to bring some empty vials to the recycling department and get Leon's jacket washed in the academy's laundry.

_I regret letting that rooster head carry out those tasks._

He sat still, but soon, the agonized cries from other patients gave him a headache. For Aedifex's sake, they were mercenaries! Mercenaries put their lives on the line on a regular basis!

Worse yet, some of the wailing patients were men in their 30s.

 _Close the damn curtains already!_ Leon complained in his head, folding his arms over his chest. _I can't stand looking at those crybabies!_

A moment later, Leon hissed and hopped off his bed. After wearing his boots and backpack, he stormed out of the infirmary.

Just as he walked past the sliding glass doors, he bumped into Neil at the pavement, beside a bus stop. The rooster head had finally returned with a clean leather jacket in his arms. It gave off the scent of jasmine, the most popular flower in the world due to its association with Aedifex.

"Oh, you're out so soon?" Neil handed Leon the jacket. "You can't stand smelling the mix of antiseptic and blood in there?"

Leon sighed. "I hate those crybabies. Those guys are much older than me, yet they're bawling their eyes out over a few gashes."

"You can't really fault them, Leonhardt. Magic usage ages one's body, but not one's mind. They may look like some thirty-year-old guys, but their mind may be that of a ten-year-old's."

"Kraindr Academy is very good at controlling the aging issues." Leon walked away from the infirmary. "First off, they always teach us to follow our GSs' training regime and secondary element recommendations. Next up, they replace one year of magic course for weapon-wielding lessons. Lastly, they have a lot of rules about missions and work shifts."

"Some mercenaries may be born with short-lived GSs like rats or insects." Neil walked beside him. "The academy also has many transfer students, who may have aged a lot before they learn about those rules."

 _Transfer students._ Leon looked up at the clear cerulean sky. He was a transfer student, albeit an illegal one. Idassar Academy never bothered with the aging issues; as a result, the eight-year-old Leon had ignored the lion's words and insisted on having Metal as his secondary element. It had caused him to hit puberty at the age of nine, and if not for his big bro, he wouldn't have learned to deal with the deepening voice, the body odor, and the other things that might drive him nuts as a kid.

Neil remained silent. Curious, Leon shifted his gaze to him. His old friend's wistful face pretty much said, _"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up your history with Idassar Academy."_

Neil understood him, and it deserved a praise. Yet when Leon tried to thank him, he ended up telling Neil, "You're so friendly that it's annoying."

"Eh?" Neil scratched his head. "Why annoying?"

"You make it easy to grow fond of you."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Until separation happens."

Neil smiled. "Aw, why so grim?"

Leon shrugged. "Called it. A cheerful guy like you won't understand why."

"I don't understand the pain of separation? You gotta be kidding me!" Neil's smile faded. "Take the graduation day as an example. Mimi, Ed, Lyn, and I were about to walk separate ways and left you behind. What's more, Mimi was going back to her home country. What wasn't sad about that?"

"You saw it coming," Leon grumbled, wishing there was a garbage or a pebble on the pavement for him to kick. _Not like Lyn, who suddenly disappeared without a trace. Especially not like big bro, who wouldn't have died if I hadn't been a coward._

Neil said nothing afterwards, and Leon didn't bother speaking again.

A walk to the dorm area usually took only a few minutes. However, some mercenaries would rather wait for a bus because of the scorching sunlight. Leon thought it was silly; if you were unlucky, you could end up spending fifteen minutes just to reach the dorm.

By the time they arrived at the dorm, sweat had soaked Leon's clothes. His skin burned a little, too. Not that he cared; once inside, he'd set the aircon to the lowest possible temperature. Also, his room was on the first floor.

As Leon placed his jacket over his shoulders and approached the door with a metallic "108" embossed on it, Neil said, "How nice! My room is on the second floor. Too bad the academy forbids jumping and flying. Hell, it also forbids running in the halls and on the walls."

Leon took out his wallet and pulled his keycard out of it. "Because it'll be very messy. I'm sure as hell that Mr. Burke doesn't want footprints on the walls."

"But flying-"

"Everybody will flock like birds. It'll weird out non-mercenary guests." Leon tapped the keycard on the scanner above the doorknob. A click echoed, and he opened the door.

"Oh, well. See ya tomorrow, buddy!"

Without saying anything or even looking back, Leon stepped into his room and closed the door. Once he inserted it into the keycard switch on the wall, the lights lit up. The ceiling aircon whirred and spewed refreshing breeze at the small rectangular room. It relieved the minor burning on his skin, and his drenched clothes made the air even cooler to him.

Leon took off his boots and approached the computer desk, which lay beside his bed. After putting his wallet on the desk, he took his jacket from his shoulders and gave it a look. As expected, the sleeve remained ragged. Well, it'd obviously be, because only its owner could fix it.

 _I'll fix it after I visit my GS and take a shower._ Leon hung the jacket on the metallic wall hooks beside the wardrobe. _I don't know, but my gut just tells me to see him now..._

Leon set down his backpack beside his bed, unzipped it, and fished his phone and charger out of it. After connecting his phone to the charger, he put it on the desk, right beside his wallet, and plugged the charger into one of the outlets on the wall between the desk and his bed. His phone lit up, revealing that its battery was at 77%.

 _Big bro loved the number 7..._ A lump formed in his throat as he climbed onto his bed. _Nah, forget about it. Remembering him is just slowing me down._

After sitting cross-legged, Leon placed his hands on his thighs and closed his eyes. He pictured acacia trees on a xanthous grassland in his mind, but kept ending up with incomplete and blurry images. A moment later, though, the imagery remained still and gained its sharpness by itself.

Once he could see a vast savanna in his mind's eye, his backside burned as though he sat on hot coals. His ears registered a cacophony of chatter, laughter, and footsteps.

Leon's eyes snapped open and widened. What the hell, he ended up at the field of the academy's auditorium! Men and women in academic gowns and mortarboards stood everywhere.

 _I remember this!_ Leon stood up and jostled through the crowd; strangely, nobody paid attention to him. _That damned lion must be messing around with me!_

A lady in an academic gown and cap stood before the stone staircase of the auditorium, her black hair tied to a bun. Leon froze in his tracks; Lyn had always looked so good with her rosy cheeks and oval jawline, and now the light makeup only made her more beautiful.

In front of her a guy in a white dress shirt and black pants stood, his unruly brown hair resembling the mane of a lion. In his hands a bouquet of forget-me-nots rested.

"Lyn..." Tears welled in his blue eyes as he handed the bouquet to her.

"Oh, you're so sweet, Leonhardt!" Lyn gave the guy a broad smile. "I won't forget you!"

"Really?"

Leon turned away, a hiss escaping through his gritted teeth. Why of all things, did the lion force him to watch his younger self, a twelve-year-old idiot with the body of a sixteen-year-old, showing his idiocy on graduation day?

"He's the proof that devolution exists," a deep voice spoke from behind.

Just as Leon turned, the environment rippled violently before fading to nothingness. Then clear blue sky, elephant grass, acacia trees, and a lion materialized in the void. The beast sat still with his paws crossed.

"You're annoying," Leon mouthed.

"Says the annoying little brat himself." The lion sighed, his dark brown mane swaying in the breeze. "Still thinking that you're better than that twelve-year-old idiot?"

"Sure. If I hadn't clung to the belief that she'd come see me again, it wouldn't have hurt that much."

"You should've waited a little longer, silly boy. Look, if she had forgotten about you, she wouldn't have specifically asked her dad to send you and Neil to Dakan tomorrow."

Leon looked down. The lion had a point, but part of him still refused to acknowledge that hope was a good thing.

"Cat got your tongue, boy?"

Leon glared at the lion. "Hell no, big kitty! I'm sure as hell that Lyn's feelings had nothing to do with this contract!"

"It's better than her requesting other mercenaries, isn't it?"

Leon shrugged. "She'd be better off with that. I don't wanna see her. It's gonna hurt when the contract is done and I gotta say goodbye to her."

"You're such a mule." The lion stood up. "Let me tell you something: good things don't last forever, but neither do bad things. Enjoy good things while they last. Keep your chin up when bad things happen. That's how you live life to its fullest."

"Wow, what a useful advice," Leon deadpanned. "It's easier to keep expecting the worst and avoiding good things, big kitty. When bad things happen, it won't hurt that much."

The lion chuckled. "Let's see how long you can last with that, silly boy."


	10. The Journey Begins

Every train station in Rechel had a car rental beside one of the station exits. The government had made it so that both civilians and mercenaries could go everywhere easily; however, mercenaries would usually get a small discount.

When the academy principal had spoken, though, it'd be a different story.

"Ah, I've heard about you two from Mr. Burke," the owner of the rental, Daniel Rivera, spoke with a sweet smile that made Leon sick in the stomach. One had to respect mercenaries, but some idiots just tried too hard to be a bootlicker.

"Yeah." Neil grinned, a hand grasping the straps of his bulky duffle bag while another rubbing the back of his neck. "Mr. Burke booked a car for our mission, didn't he?"

"He did." Daniel turned and walked along the path between the neatly-parked cars. Sunlight glinted off their shiny surface. "Follow me."

Dragging his suitcase, Leon faked a smile and followed Daniel. "Yes, Sir."

Neil strolled beside him, looking left and right as if he were in a shopping mall. It wasn't long until Leon was a few feet in front of him.

Leon glanced over his shoulders. "You wanna get left behind?"

"But these cars... Oh, dear Aedifex!" Neil stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening as he pointed at a lone blue SUV. A humongous broadsword jutted out of its bumper, while a giant kite shield rested beside each of its headlights. It had wing-like rear pillars, big enough to cover a grown-up man's head and shoulders. "That's Garuda Eagle, isn't it?"

"Yes," Daniel replied; good thing he kept walking. "It's still an early version, though. Since it has both flight and combat capabilities, it needs a lot of fuel."

Neil grinned broadly. "Wow, they finally finished it!"

"I heard that you took engineering as extracurricular, Mr. Neil?" Daniel asked. "Any chance you were in the development team?"

"Before I graduated, yeah. My buddies promoted this project a lot, so I just joined them." Neil's grin faded as his gaze fell to the concrete floor. "It was fun, but I didn't have the patience for it."

"Well, that's understandable. Car development takes years and costs a lot after all."

 _And isn't as profitable as doing missions at the countryside_ , Leon added in his mind, struggling to retain his smile at Daniel's sickeningly pleasant voice. He glanced at Neil, who didn't even look bothered. Silly rooster head. At least he had resumed walking.

It took only about a minute for them to reach the destination - a row of SUVs. Approaching the silver one with the number plate "KR-1728-SL," Daniel pulled a key and a receipt out of his pants pocket and handed them to Neil. "Mr. Burke told me that you'll be driving."

"Yeah." Smiling at Leon, Neil pushed the "unlock" button on the key. A click echoed as the car's lights flashed. "Hope you don't mind, buddy."

 _You've been driving for years. You certainly drive better than I do._ Leon sighed as he strode towards the trunk. "It's Mr. Burke's order. Besides, I'm not allowed behind the wheel unless there's nobody else."

"Oh, right. You're still 16 despite your looks and voice," Daniel commented.

 _Did he really need to comment on that?_ Leon opened the door and put his suitcase in the car.

Neil soon joined him and nudged him in his rib. "Be more subtle, bro," he whispered.

"Whatever." Leon headed towards the front door and opened it. Once he got in the car, he slammed the door shut and put on the seat belt.

Neil soon opened the door that led to the driver's seat, and Leon heard Daniel's annoyingly pleasant, "Have a safe trip!"

"Thank you, Sir!" After putting his wallet and mobile phone in the cup holder near the gear stick, Neil sat down and closed the door. Pushing the key into the ignition hole and twisting it, he looked at Leon. "You really suck at being subtle, huh?" The car's engine roared as the dashboard and the tiny monitor beside it lit up.

Leon crossed his arms over his chest. "That bootlicker too."

Neil switched on the aircons. "Well, that was kinda annoying, but keeping an eye shut wouldn't hurt."

"Yeah, got it."

Neil swiped and tapped on the screen. A map of Kraindr region appeared, with tiny words and lines with various colors across the monitor. "It'll take about eight hours to reach Dakan. We'll be at Shinon at lunch time."

Leon stared at the monitor and found a lot of green around Shinon. "I'll hunt for lunch."

"Why? It's not like Shinon is a wild region." Neil placed two fingers on the screen and then moved them apart. The map zoomed in, revealing several restaurant symbols. "See?"

"I can get free food from the forest, thank you very much."

After putting on his seat belt, Neil grabbed the handbrake. "It won't hurt to get a nice meal once in a while, bro." With a thumb on the button, he pushed down the lever.

Leon sighed. "Why should I spend money for food when I can get it for free?"

Neil moved the gear stick from P to D and stepped on the gas pedal. As the car moved, he looked around and steered the wheel. "Man, you're even stingier than in the past!"

"'Stingy' and 'Frugal' are different," Leon argued. "I am and have always been the latter."

"I'm kinda curious about how much you've hoarded from being 'frugal.' Also, what are you planning to do with all the money?"

Honestly, Leon hadn't really given that a thought, as finding cheap stuff and saving up just happened out of reflex all the time. Perhaps he'd buy his parents a new home and stuff, but would they still be there to enjoy the wealth?

"That's none of your business," Leon grumbled.

"You're no fun!"

"I know."

"Geez, cheer up, Leon!"

 _What the hell?_ Leon stared at Neil. "It's Leonhardt."

"Oh, come on! We're best buds, aren't we?"

"Since when?"

"Since we met! Along with Lyn, Ed, and Mimi!"

"Hmph." Folding his arms across his chest, Leon shifted his gaze to the road ahead and sighed. The car would soon hit the security booth beside the exit. "Now, would you stop spouting some BS and focus on driving instead?"

"Yikes!" Neil stepped on the brake and turned the wheel. The car swerved away from the booth.

Leon facepalmed. At this rate, he'd make a better driver than Neil.

Once the car stopped before the barrier gate, Neil opened the window beside him. The security guard shouted from the booth, "Be careful, Mr. Neil!"

"Sorry, Sir!" Neil picked up his wallet, fished a receipt out of it, and handed the piece of paper to the security guy. "Here."

After looking at the receipt, the security guy mashed the keyboard of the computer in the booth. As the barrier gate rose, the man said, "All right. Safe trip!"

"Thanks!" Neil closed the window and resumed driving. The car soon emerged on a main road.

Located at the western end of the Kraindr train line, Ereasicon had more trees and empty fields than buildings left and right. Many trucks sped along the road, transporting various goods from and towards the mountainous region ahead.

Leon had never done any missions on the outskirts of Kraindr, let alone the mountains. Sure, they paid a lot, but without the academy sponsoring the transportation, it'd net him less money. Moreover, with a lot of time and energy spent for the journey, he could only do one mission a day.

He wondered what lurked in the mountains. Perhaps a behemoth? Unlike a fiend, a behemoth originated from a GS who defied the almighty Aedifex and was very rare. With immense combat prowess and an army of fiends by its side, a behemoth could easily decimate a group of inexperienced mercenaries; however, if one could slay it, the mercenary trading centers would pay a lot for its body parts. Leon had once crafted arrows from a behemoth's bones, as part of the blacksmith extracurricular, and they could drill through multiple concrete walls before losing speed.

He looked at Neil, completely poker-faced although he actually wanted to smile a bit. The rooster head might have a few screws loose, but if Leon _really_ had to team up, he wouldn't mind having Neil in the team. Working together with someone he'd known for a long time was certainly easier.

"What's up?" Neil asked, his gaze fixed at the road ahead.

Leon looked away. "Nothing."

"Thought you were looking at me just now."

"You need to get your eyes checked then."

Neil chuckled. "Sorry to say, but roosters have superb vision, so you don't need to worry about my eyes!"

Leon sighed, regretting what he'd just said.

"Seriously, bro, just drop that facade. Whatever you do, you can never hide that you're actually-"

"Shut up!"

Neil laughed. "Ah, okay, okay!"

Leon hissed. From now on, he wouldn't say a word throughout the journey unless it was absolutely necessary. Maybe he should sleep as well... No. Neil could always use another set of eyes, couldn't he? The rooster head might poke fun at him once in a while, but it would be better than him making an ass of himself again.

_What a drag._


End file.
